Disappearence
by Samira345
Summary: Sasuke returns back to the village to be with his old team again, only to find out the things are different than they should be. Lies, secrets, regrets and broken hearts...Will Sasuke and Naruto, with the help of their friends, be able to find and save the ones they love the most?
1. Return

_**Disclaimer **_: **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.**

**This story takes place in Shippuden, after Sasuke killed Itachi. Pain arc and everything else never happened. **

* * *

_**Chapter 1 - Return**_

Sasuke was sitting on the rocks near the sea. He was deep in his thoughts, thinking about everything he had done ever since he left Konoha. His mind wandered to thoughts of his family and his brother, whom he killed a few weeks ago. ' _I've got what I've wanted the whole time...Revenge. But, I don't feel different. I'm not satisfied at all. Sakura was right back then._...'

His eyes softened at the mention of his pink hair teammate. Within seconds, Sasuke thoughts drifted to her. _How was she? Is she stronger? Was she still the annoying fangirl or has she changed?_ '

Those were the questions that had haunted him for the past few weeks. He often found himself thinking or dreaming about her, though, not all dreams were good. Sometimes he dreamed about her being alone and all beaten up, begging for someone to help her. He couldn't understand why he was having these dreams. He was trying to figure out his feelings, because he wasn't sure about how he felt for her anymore. Not only her. but Team 7 as well.

' _Naruto, he was like a brother to me. Although he is a loud mouth and the baka of the group, he always helped me when it was necessary. Thanks to him, we always had a good time. _'

' _Kakashi was like a second father to me. He was always helpful. He trained me. He gave me the feeling of being protected. _'

' _And Sakura? She was the only girl in our team. I will say, even though she was an annoying fangirl at times, she was always by my side. She saved me many times, yet I was always cold and distant towards her. Even when she confessed her love for me, I knocked her out and left her on a cold bench in the middle of the night._ '

Even though he would never admit it, his heart shattered a little at the sight of the tears she had shed for him...

He was roughly pulled out of his thoughts when he sensed two chakras approaching. He prepared himself for a fight, but as the chakras got nearer, he found out they were quite familiar to him. He didn't have anymore time to think about it, as he was sent flying in the nearby tree by a blur of blonde and silver.

' Shit, I didn't sense that. ' he cursed as he hit the tree. When he rised from the ground, he looked up to see his opponent, irritated by the sudden attack that he was unable to avoid.

" Naruto? Kakashi? " he understood why the chakras felt so familiar.

"Sasuke? Is that you? What are you doing here? " Naruto asked, pretty surprised to see his former teammate in front of him.

Kakashi just watched him with a cautious face.

" If you want to fight then..." Naruto began, but he was interrupted when Sasuke snorted.

" And what makes you think I'm going to fight? " he stated with a smirk on his lips.

Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground and Kakashi's eyes widened.

" Whaaat? " Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, " Who are you and what did you do to Sasuke Uchiha? "

" I see you're still the same baka you were before. "

" What did you say you teme? "

Kakashi just stared at both of his students, bickering. ' _That sure brings back a lot of memories._ '

They continued to bicker for a while, but Naruto suddenly tensed and asked seriously.

" No more jokes Sasuke. What are you doing here? "

Sasuke sighed and looked at Naruto

" I want to go back to the village. "

Kakashi and Naruto tensed, not knowing what to say. The atmosphere was strained and like always, Naruto was the first one to break it.

" You mean it or are you just trying to soft soap-us? " (not sure what this means?)

Sasuke looked at him and then at Kakashi with a serious expression on his face.

" I know it maybe hard to believe, but what I found out about my clan and my brother... and after hearing what Itachi had to say before he died, I decided it's the right thing to do for him... and for my family. "

At the mention of his family, Sasuke's expression changed a bit, which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto and Kakashi. They knew the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, but they didn't say anything.

" What would've you done if you didn't meet us here? " Kakashi asked for the first time since they have arrived.

" I would've written a letter to the Hokage myself. "

This was so unexpected that neither Naruto nor Kakashi knew what to say. They would never expect something like that. But that didn't last long, because Sasuke was soon tackled to the ground by a grinning Naruto.

" Dobe, get off of me! " although Sasuke said that, he was glad that Naruto accepted him without any problems.

" I see you haven't changed at all..." Naruto was still grining like a Cheshire cat.

" Hn..."

They stood up from the ground and saw Kakashi smiling at them.

" You know Sasuke, you're lucky bastard that you're going back to Konoha willingly because I wanted to drag your ass back there. " But Naruto suddenly stiffened and he added, nearly whispering. " I promised I would bring you back no matter what. Now, I can finally fulfill that promise. "

Kakashi knew what Naruto was talking about and his face saddened too. Sasuke just stared at them with a what-the-hell-is-going-on-here look on his face. Just by observing them for a while, he knew they were hiding something from him. But before he could ask anything, they got themselves together and started heading off.

" Come on Teme, we have to get you home. " Naruto said and Kakashi just nodded. Sasuke's lips twitched a little bit, when he remembered that he hadn't heard the word _'home' _for a very long time. He looked ahead and saw both his teammate and his sensei waiting for him to go. He reached them in no time and they all set off for Konoha...

* * *

_**Few hours later – Hokage's office**_

" So, Sasuke Uchiha, you would like to stay in Konoha. Am I right? " Tsunade asked with a calm expression, which scared Naruto and Kakashi to say the least, because Tsunade was almost never calm. Not when it came to something like that.

" Yes. " Sasuke answered calmly with a stoic expression on his face.

" And you know I could call the ANBU and have you punished for leaving the village without permisson and everything else? "

" Yeah. And I'm prepared to take whatever punishment you would give me. "

" Very well then. Since I know about the massacre and what the Elders made your brother do, I'm going to go easy on you. "

Kakashi along with Naruto and Shizune, who stood next to Tsunade sighed heavily. Sasuke was calmly awaiting Tsunade's decision.

" Sasuke Uchiha, you will be living with one of your teammates for a whole year. Mainly for security reasons, but also, it will take a year for the Uchiha manor to be repaired and prepared for you to live in. Of course, you will have an ANBU guard for half year as well. If you make any decisions, your teammate or the ANBU considers life-threating, they are allowed to kill you or imprison you. Understood? "

" Hn. "

" And don't '_hn_' me Uchiha."

" Yes Hokage-sama. " Naruto was trying to hide a snicker behind the hand on his mouth. Sasuke just sent him a death glare.

" And one more thing. Don't try to do anything about the Elders yourself. We will deal with them later. We have more important things to take care of right now. " she said while looking out of the window.

Sasuke nodded, although he wasn't sure what her expression was since she was facing the window. But he could clearly see her reflection in the window, which was sad and he was curious. What weren't they telling him? But before he could ask, Tsunade stood up and looked at him with serious expression.

" Don't you dare disappoint us. "

" Tch. I won't. " he said with smirk on his face.

" Very well. You will be placed back to team 7 with Naruto and Kakashi. But don't forget, if you try to escape again, they will have to kill you. " she looked at the blond and silver haired ninjas and they both gulped.

" Any questions? " When none of them replied. She addressed all three of them." Fine, then you're dismissed. "

They all turned to leave when one question came to Sasuke's mind. It was a question he was thinking about the entire time since he had returned with Kakashi and Naruto. A person, that none of them has mentioned ever since he had rejoined them.

" I do have one question. " Tsunade looked up from her paperwork and his teammate and sensei stopped at the door.

" Where is Sakura? Why isn't she here? Why wasn't she mentioned in our team? "

When he saw the expression on all of their faces, he immediatly knew something was wrong. Very wrong. Tsunade along with Shizune were on the verge of tears and the faces' of his teammate and sensei were sad. He could feel his heart sinkong to his knees.

" Naruto. " Tsunade was the first to break the silence and looked up at the blond boy.

" Yeah. I know. Come on Sasuke. " he walked out of the office, Kakashi following behind him. Sasuke looked one last time at the Godaime Hokage and caught up with his teammate. They walked out of the Hokage tower in silence but Sasuke couldn't contain himself any longer. He wanted to know, what happened to Sakura. He stopped and looked Naruto in eyes.

" Naruto, what are you trying to hide from me? Why were all of you so tensed at the mention of Sakura? What happened to her? "

Naruto sighned and his voice came out just as a whisper " She vanished. "

" What do you mean she _'vanished'? _People just don't vanish..."

Naruto sighed again and looked up at the blue sky.

" She's missing. It's been a year now... "

* * *

_**Hey guys, so technically this is my first fanfic ever. I hope you liked it. :) Thank you for reading and please do review, but no flames. If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. ;) **_

_**And I wanted to say a big 'Thank you' to E. for helping me with the story.**_


	2. Unexpected Discoveries part 1

_**Hey there everybody, so I am here. I am sorry it took so long but here you go, chapter 2. Hope you will like it. =D **_

_**Disclaimer **_: **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – Unexpected Discoveries Part 1**_

Sasuke and Naruto were currently sitting in Naruto's apartment in silence. Sasuke was trying hard to comprehend the startling information. His teammate was missing and no one knew if she was dead or alive.

" Naruto, please tell me everything you know. What happened? Why? Who did this? "

" Whoa Sasuke, slow down. I'll tell you everything we know. " Naruto sighed and looked in his hands. " She, along with Hinata and 2 other ANBU members vanished on a mission. "

"Wait! What? Sakura was on an ANBU mission? Why? "

Naruto turned to him with a confused expression. He didn't understand why he was so eager to know everything about their pink haired teammate, but he let it be.

"She became an ANBU captain along with Hinata, Neji and Tenten. " he added.

Sasuke's eyes widened. " Sakura made ANBU? "

" Yes, she did. " His face fell a little. " But to tell you how, I must start one year after you left Konoha and I left for training with Jiraya. "

Sasuke wondered why he had to go back to those days, but something told him it was important, so he didn't say anything.

" You know, things weren't the same ever since you left Konoha. " Naruto's voice was like a whisper, which was totally unexpected. " No one was the same. Especially Sakura. When you left, she cried for days. She locked herself in her room and didn't speak to anybody. Not her parents. Not me. Not even to Ino or Tsunade. When it became possible that she might commit suicide, Tsunade barged in her room and what she found there was horrible for all of us. "

Sasuke shivered at the thought of Sakura commiting suicide but he prayed she didn't do that.

" What have you found there? Please, tell me she didn't do anything to herself or even worse..."

" No, she didn't...sort of. "

" What do you mean by that? "

" When Tsunade found her, she was total wreck. She was starving herself for 5 days and she hadn't been sleeping at all. By the time they had found her, she was underfed and barely conscious. Tsunade had to put her in intesive care for a few weeks. "

Just now Sasuke finally understood how much pain he had caused her. He had broken her heart by leaving and she was constantly suffering every day since he had left. He was such an idiot. He was trying to scare her away, trying to be cold, so he didn't need anyone, but truth be told, he needed them. He needed her, because sha always was there for him. She wasn't like the others. But, that was the main reasonwhy he was such a coldhearted bastard towards her...He was afraid he would lose her, like he lost his family. He was afraid that every person he loved or cared about would be gone...

" And the worst part, " Naruto continued his speech and broke Sasuke's train of thoughts " she didn't want to see or talk to anybody. She was like a ghost. Like a corpse warmed over. "

Naruto thought back to all times he couldn't even look at her because he hadn't been able to bring Sasuke back. He was so afraid that she would break. But he didn't feel the need to tell Sasuke about it.

" But how could she have made Anbu, if she was..."

Sasuke couldn't even finish his sentence before Naruto grabbed the collar of his shirt and sent him a death glare.

" Don't you even dare to speak about what you don't know, you coldhearted bastard. You don't know anything about her. After everything she went through, she is everything but weak and useless. "

Naruto was almost yelling at the end of the sentence.

" How am I supposed to know, when you don't tell me? " Sasuke yelled back at him and pushed his hand away, obviously pissed from the situation. " Dammit Naruto, I am trying but the last time I saw her was 5 years ago, when I knocked her out and left her on a freaking bench in the middle of the night! Do you think it's easy for me? "

They were glaring at each other for a few more minutes, but Naruto saw that the raven haired boy was feeling really guilty about what had happened.

" Sorry Teme, it's just...its been so long and no one knows where Sakura and Hinata are or if they are even still alive... "

" Ok Naruto, could you tell me what really happened? How did Sakura make Anbu and everything?"

" I don't know all the details except for what Hinata-chan told me. "

When Naruto saw Sasuke looking rather oddly at him, he continued to explain.

" Eh, you know, I left too. To train with Jiraya and when I came back, everything was totally different. "

_**Flashback**_

Naruto and Jiraya stood in front of the Konoha gates. It was almost two and half years since they had left and Naruto was wandering what had changed.

" It feels so good to finally be back at home. " he said as they stepped in, only to be greeted with the sight of Kotetsu and Izumo, who were waving at them in response.

" Sure it is. " he smiled at his student. He has grown quite a lot since they left. He wasn't the same kid he was before. Now he was a grown young man and he could say, he was proud of him. They headed for Hokage tower and when they came there, Jiraya knocked on the door. After they heared a muffled "_Come in_" they stepped in the room only to be surprised to see backs of 2 ANBU members.

" Ok. So here are the scrolls for your mission. It's an S-rank, so be careful. Failure is not an option. "

" Hai. " both of them answered together only to be interupted by Jiraya.

" Are we interupting something Tsunade? "

The Godaime Hokage looked up at the faces of the new comers and immediately her face lighten up.

" Naruto, Jiraya...no, not at all, come in. "

Both of the ANBU members turned their heads in their direction. Both of them were wearing a typical ANBU coat with masks on their faces, so Naruto couldn't really tell who they were.

" Naruto-kun. " one of the ANBU's stated and the blond boy immediately knew that this voice was very familiar.

He was deep in his thoughts about who this could be, when Jiraya asked. " Oh my... Tsunade what did you do to them?

Naruto looked up to see what he meant but didn't expect to see what he did.

" Hinata-chan? Sakura-chan? " his jaw dropped to the ground. He couldn't believe that his former teammate and Hinata made ANBU.

" You're both ANBU members? " Before he could say anything else, he was interupted by Tsunade's laughter.

" I didn't do anything to them Jiraya and, yes Naruto, they are both ANBU along with Neji and Tenten. "

" Hey Naruto-kun, how was your training? " Hinata asked, a hint of blush crept onto her cheeks, although it was obvious she has already grown up from her shyness.

He observed her carefully and was surprised to see she had grown from a little, shy girl into a beautiful young woman. She had slim figure and her hair was long and smooth _(she has a normal hair style like in Shippuden ) _and she was wearing a typical ANBU uniform. They were looking at each other for a moment before they were interupted by a cough and another voice.

Naruto turned to see Sakura, though he knew in an instant, that the young woman wasn't the same girl he knew before he left. She, like Hinata, was now a beautiful young woman. Her pink locks were down to her midback, braided free together. Her figure was slender with muscles, an evident proof of her hard training but also a reminder of her lack of food she ate. But it were her eyes that reminded Naruto how much she had changed. Her green eyes used to be full of life and happiness, but now, they were cold and empty.

" Naruto. " That was the only thing she said before she nodded lightly at him and turned to Tsunade with a bow.

" Shishou, am I allowed to leave now? "

Tsunade looked at her student and sighned. " Yes, you may leave but don't forget about your mission. "

" Like that would happen. " she rolled her eyes in response and turned around to face Hinata. " See you later. "

Hinata nodded and the pinkette was gone in a swirl of black and pink petals. When she left, Hinata and Tsunade looked at each other sadly. " I'll talk to her later. "

" That sure was weird. " Jiraya stated and tried to find out, what really happened. " Wait a minute, she adressed you shishou, right? " he asked and looked over to his former teammate and new Hokage.

" Yeah, she did. Is something wrong with it? "

" No, not at all. It's just that I never thought you would have an apprentice Tsunade. "

" I can't believe that's the same person I knew. " Naruto said, interrupting Tsunade before she could punch Jiraya. They all turned to him.

" She is Naruto, but...she went through a lot you know. " Hinata said softly.

" Yeah, sadly, Hinata's right. "

It was quiet for a moment before Hinata spoke again.

" Lady Tsunade, can I please tell him? He has every right to know. "

" I know Hinata. Actually, I was hoping you would take that into your hands. I have too much work to do. " Tsunade sighed and looked at Hinata.

" What are you two talking about? What should I know? "

" It's a long story. What do you say we go eat ramen and I'll tell you? "

" Hmm, yeah sure..."

Both of them were on their way out of the office when Tsunade stood up and said " And Hinata! "

The girl turned her head and looked at the Hokage. " Yes, Tsunade-sama? "

" Take care of Sakura. You know how she is..."

" Of course Tsunade-sama. Like always. " And they went out of the office.

" Hey Hinata-chan, what did she mean by that? " Naruto asked as they were on their way out of the Hokage tower.

Hinata just sighed and looked at him. " You know, Sakura can be very reckless sometimes. For her own sake, Tsunade-sama always sends me, TenTen or Neji with her. "

Naruto just nodded his head and looked away.

" Look Naruto, I know you're maybe confused about Sakura but she has been through a lot really. And she made the decision to never to be the weak little girl she used to be. "

" But, what about her attitude? She is so cold. Even her eyes are cold and distant...She was always so cheerful. "

By the time he had spoken, they came to Ichiraku ramen. Naruto ordered two bowls while Hinata just politely declined. She then sighed, and looked away before she started speaking.

" After you left, Kakashi got assigned on a long mission, so Sakura had technically no team left to be in. She was really sad because Sasuke left, you left, Kakashi had to leave and she was blaming herself for it. She said she was far too weak and that was the main reason why she couldn't have a normal team. When she was released from the hospital, she started to train really hard and without anyone knowing, she asked Tsunade to be her sensei...to be honest, I knew about that."

Hinata said but was interrupted by Naruto, slurping his bowl and then asking.

" Sakura is Baa-chan's apprentice? And how did you know? "

Hinata sweat dropped and thought if he really has grown up.

" Geez Naruto, weren't you listening? Sakura addressed Tsunade-sama as sensei. Of course she is her apprentice and everyone knows she is the best apprentice Tsunade can have. "

Naruto scratched his head as he was trying to remember. When did she said that? Hinata just sighed again. ' _This is going to be a long night._ '

" And I knew about it because Sakura told me. We have grown quite close together, because besides her parents and Tsunade-sama, I was with her the most. And then she was temporarily placed in our team. So we were training with Kurenai-sensei or with Neji and TenTen. Sakura was growing stronger as was I and it seemed she will be happy again even with her team gone. Until that night..." Hinata's voice came out as a whisper and when Naruto observed her, he saw she was sad.

" What night? What are you talking abou Hinata-chan? What happened? "

" About a year after you left... Sakura's parents were killed. "

_**End of the Flashback**_

* * *

_**So, I wanted to thank you to all of you who followed, liked or reviewed. I am happy that you like it. **__**=D **_

_**So, review and let me know if you have any ideas.**_

_**And I wanted to say a big 'Thank you' to E . S . mangalover for helping me with the story. Dont forget to check out her stories, they are really amazing. **__**=D **_  
_**  
**_


	3. Unexpected Discoveries part 2

_**Helo my lovely readers,I am really sorry it took so long but I am now super busy with moving in a family house and all of this. And to add some more we have 4 hour training session nearly every other day. So I have been really happy when I came home at 9 in the evening and got to write something. :P**_

_**But now enjoy the story. ;) **_

_**Disclaimer **_: **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.**

* * *

_**Chapter 3 – Unexpected discoveries part 2**_

Sasuke sat totally frozen on the couch, wishing it was just a dream.

" Naruto, please tell me I'm just dreaming and what you said isn't true. "

" Sorry Sasuke, I wish I could. "

" Shit! So she ended up in the same situation as us but the difference was we weren't there for her. "

Naruto just silently nodded his head.

" What happened to them? " the raven haired guy asked after a moment of silence.

" I'm not quite sure. Hinata said they were killed by some rouge ninjas but she wouldn't say anything else, though I wouldn't be surprised if she knew more about it. Since I came back to the village, I was able to see that they were like twins. Hinata revealed that she was the only one Sakura really trusted. "

" So that's the reason why she was so cold... "

" Yeah, I think so. She practically lost everything that was important to her. Her parents, us...No wonder she was the way she was. "

" …..." Sasuke just stayed silent, wishing they could have been there for her when she had needed them. Even though Sasuke was annoyed by her presence at times, he could always depend on her to be there for him. Yet, he was unable to return the favor.

" Hinata said that it happened after they made chuunin. When they came back from their first mission as chuunins, team 8 along with Sakura went home, but a few hours later, when she was training with Neji, someone knocked on their door... "

_**Flashback**_

" Well done Hinata. You've improved since the last time. "

" Thanks Neji, but I think I'm done for tonight. I'm so tired after the mission. "

Hinata said as she threw herself to the ground. Neji chuckled at her.

" Hey, what's so funny? " Tenten asked as she came out of the mansion with bottles of water for all of them.

" Nothing at all. Hinata is done, are you up for a fight? " Neji glanced at Tenten and chuckled again.

" Nah, I'm with Hinata on this one. I'm done too. " she said as she plopped herself next to Hinata.

" Gosh, you two are so lazy. "

" Yeah Neji, whatever you say. " Tenten added sarcastically and then they all laughed.

* Knock. Knock *

All of them turned to the gateway and then at each other.

" Hinata, are you expecting someone? "

" No. " Hinata answered, curious about who it could be since her father and sister were not at home.

" Then why don't we all go to look who it is? " Tenten suggested and stood up from the ground.

All three of them came to the doorway and Neji opened the door to see who it could be. But none were prepared for what was awaiting them. In front of the door stood Sakura, covered in blood, sickly pale and crying.

" Sakura! Oh my gosh, Sakura! " Both girls exclaimed at the sight of their best friend.

" Sakura what happened to you? " Neji asked, truly worried about her because she had become a close friend.

" They're dead. " Those were the only words she whispered before she passed out. Neji caught her just in time before her head could hit the ground.

" Is she okay? Who's dead? What was she talking about? " Hinata asked, panicking over what could have happened to her best friend.

" Hinata calm down. We won't figure out anything this way. I'll take her to your room okay? " Neji said, picking Sakura up and already walking with her to Hinata's room.

" Sorry Neji. It's just...I am so worried about her. "

Hinata apologized as she walked behind Neji, head hung low. Tenten placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to reassure the anxious girl.

" We all are Hina, but don't worry, we will find out what happened and Sakura will be okay. "

Neji placed the pinkette on Hinata's bed and looked up at the other two girls.

" You two stay with her her, I'll go ask Tsunade if she knows anything. Take care of her and when if you two sense some danger, you both know what to do. "

Neji said and in a minute he was out. Tenten and Hinata then cleaned her, changed her clothes and tucked her under the blankets.

" What do you think could have happened? Hinata asked while checking Sakura to see if she had any other injuries.

" I wish I knew. I hate not knowing what is going on. " Tenten answered and sat on a chair next to the bed. Hinata brought herself another chair and sat beside her. They stayed by her side the entire evening, both of them alert in case something happened.

When Neji came back it was almost midnight and he came with Tsunade and Shizune in row. Both girls were now almost asleep with Sakura still unconscious, but as soon as both kunoichi spotted them, they were immediately on their feet.

" Neji, what happened? " Tenten asked, now really concerned about what could have happened.

All three of them looked at the girls and then at the pinkette tucked in blankets. But when he saw that Tsunade and Shizune were uneasy with the situation, considering Sakura was like a daughter and sister to them, he just sighned and decided to speak up first, while Shizune went to check up on Sakura.

" Sakura's parents were killed. "

The girls eyes' widened in shock. Now they finally understood what Sakura meant before she fainted.

" But...how? Who? " Hinata asked already on the verge of tears.

Tsunade, Shizune and Neji shared a knowing look and Tsunade responded in a cold voice.

" You don't want to know, believe me. "

_**End of the Flashback**_

" Damn..."

That was all Sasuke could say after listening to Naruto's story. He stood up and went over to the window. It was already late at night and he observed the stars in the sky wondering about Sakura and the one responsible for killing her parents.

" Hinata said that after her parents were killed, she wasn't the same. Baa-chan asked Hinata's father Hiashi to take her in, since Hinata was the closest to her and they were afraid she might end up like the first time after you left. "

" And did she...? "

" No, luckily. " Sasuke sighed from relief .

" But she went on a training rampage. She was training day and night for hours and she refused to stop. Even when they said she needed to rest, she refused she wanted to become stronger. Because of that, she ended up almost every other day in the hospital due to her depleted chakra and exhaustion or injuries from her training. Hinata said she was cold again. Although she became a perfect medic-nin and was the best at using genjutsu, it was like she was without a soul. And then she, Hinata, Tenten and Neji took the Jounin and later the ANBU exams and made a squad. Baa-chan explained me that they made a perfect team together. Their missions were always successful. Even I have seen them in action. It was clear that they were training together every day because they were so well-coordinated. "

" So, she found herself a new team and forgot about us. Am I right? "

Sasuke turned his head in Naruto's direction. Naruto just raised his eyebrow at him.

" No, you're not. Even when she was with them, we were her original squad. And what is surprising is that she never hated us for leaving. She was just really upset with us..."

Both boys were now awfully quiet. Sasuke was trying to take in all the informations about the pinkette. It was just too much to take in at once.

" I think we should go to sleep now. Do you need anything? " Naruto said after a minute of silence and stood up from the couch.

" No thanks. I'm good. "

" Okay then. Good night. "

Naruto turned around and headed off towards his room. He could see that Sasuke was trying to take it all in but he couldn't do anything about it. He just hoped he would be able to figure it all out.

" Good night. "

Sasuke turned back to face the window. Everything was a big mess. Everything that had happened, regarding Sakura, and the truth about Itachi...it was just too much. But his thoughts focused once again on the pink haired kunoichi. He was thinking about the days back when they were genins. Even through she was annoying most of the time, now he really missed it. He missed her smile for him, her laughter, her care for all of them...everything. But he missed those emerald eyes of hers the most. He never really admitted it, but her eyes were the most entrancing eyes he had ever seen. As Sasuke continued to think about her, his thoughts began to jumble together making him confused. The strange feeling in his chest when he found out she was missing. The loneliness he knew she must have felt after the loss of her parents. The pain they caused her...

' _What are these feelings? Why do I feel so different when I'm thinking about her? Could this be...?_ _But even if it is, how could she be with me when I have broken her heart so many times._ '

He couldn't find the answers to these questions. He left his place by the window and returned to the couch so he could get some sleep. He laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling for a moment before he closed his eyes. But soon enough, he found it pretty hard to fall asleep, even though he was really tired.

The memories of Sakura flooded in his mind. He opened his eyes, unable to fall sleep. His mind was going through the different scenarios that could've happened to her and the Hyuuga heiress. Kidnapping, torture,...hell they could have been raped or worse...killed. But, he didn't want to accept those two things. He was so worried that if he could, he would go look for them right away. But he couldn't. He remembered the last time he had felt this way when he had found out Sakura was so sick no one knew what was wrong with her.

_**Flashback**_

Sasuke was walking through the busy streets of Konoha. He came back yesterday from his mission with his sensei. He found out that his other two teammates were given a mission too and they should be returning in the afternoon. As if on cue, somebody suddenly rammed into him and he almost fell backwards. Almost. He couldn't say that about the other person who had fallen on the ground with a loud thud. He was about to curse but when he looked up, he found his female teammate, laying on the ground, struggling to stand up. As soon as she spotted him, she started panicking.

" Gomenasai Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean to ram into you, I just wasn't looking and I... "

" It's okay. " He cut her off and gave her hand so she could stand up. The raven haired boy thought for a moment...Sakura wasn't really that type of person to actually run into someone. Sasuke observed her a little and saw her cheeks were red and there were bags under her eyes as if she hadn't been sleeping for days.

" Hey, are you alright? " he asked, quite concerned about her. She just looked up at him and smiled a little before answering his question.

" Yeah, I'm just tired, that's all...I have to go now. I must give a report to Tsunade-sama. Bye Sasuke-kun. And once agian, I'm sorry. "

She turned on her heel and headed towards the Hokage tower. He had a feeling that something wasn't right with her but he let it be and headed home.

A few hours later, Sasuke was called to Tsunade by an ANBU. When he entered he saw a concerned look on her face.

" You wanted to see me? "

" Yes. I wanted to ask you if you have been with Sakura today. "

" Yeah. I ran into her when she was on her way here. Why? "

Tsunade sighed and looked at the boy. " We hospitalized her tonight. She has a very rare illness that was spreading throughout her system. Do you remembered if something was off about her? "

Sasuke looked at her in shock. He had thought something was wrong but had decided to brush it off. " Hmm, yeah. She looked tired and her cheeks were red like when you have a fever but I thought it was just from running. "

" Actually, she had a fever. She passed out when she came here and now I have her hooked up to an IV to keep her hydrated. Since you were in contact with her I have to hospitalize you too. Just as a precaution. "

He just nodded his head, prepared to leave. Tsunade looked at him with surprise written all over her face. She thought he would throw a fit and say he was fine and didn't need to go anywhere. But when she looked at him, she could see he was worried. Worried about the pinkette. Her thoughts were confirmed when he asked one last question before he made his way to the hospital.

" Will she be alright? "

" I hope so... "

He just nodded again and left, believing that whatever made her this sick, she would make it.

_**End of the Flashback**_

He wanted to laugh a bit about the way he was worried just for a simple sickness. And now? He didn't really know for sure. Just as he was slowly falling asleep, he found out that he knew two things for sure.

First, he was slowly but surely falling for the pink haired kunoichi. And second, that he would do anything and everything he could to find her and bring her back...at all cost.

* * *

_**Somewhere else**_

A man looked at two figures, laying motionless on the steel tables. He prepared a syringe and stuck it in the neck of the first body and then to the other. He chuckled darkly and grinned at his two experiments.

' Now, you will never find out anything about yourselfs and you will serve me and do whatever I want. I will destroy anyone who will be in my way and become the most powerful ninja in the entire world... "

He laughed again as he exited the room. His sinister laugher could be heard echoing through the empty halls.

* * *

_**So, thats it. Hope you enjoyed it. =D**_

_**Now I have two questions for you to answer.**_

_**1. With whom do you want me to pair up Shikamaru? Ino or Temari? **_

_**2. Do you have some japanese girls name in your mind that I should use? I need two names for the story, so be free to write any.**_

_**Thank you so much and please do review. Reviews gives me the motivation to write. ;) **_


	4. New missions

_**Hey there everybody, I am back. No I am not dead nor am I abadoning this story but school has already started and I have been really busy. **__**:P I am really sorry. Hope you will like this chapter.  
**_

_**But now enjoy the story. ;) **_

_**Disclaimer **_: **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4 – New missions**_

' _Sasuke... _'

Sasuke turned around, only to be greeted by the darkness surrounding him.

' _Sasuke... _'

That voice... It called him again, but he couldn't pitpoint whom that voice belong to. It sounded like a whisper.

' _Sasuke-kun. Please, help..._ '

He activated his sharingan, in order to see who was calling him. But even with his bloodline, he couldn't see anything.

' _Help us. Please._ '

God, that voice. It sounded so desperate, as if someone was begging to be saved from the pain he or she was experiencing.

' _Please..._ '

He started running. He didn't know where he was going because the darkness was too much, even for him.

' _**Save us!**_ '

That yell...it stopped his heartbeat for a moment, literally. And then, it felt like he should know that voice...That voice, it sounded so...familiar...

* * *

Sasuke sat up on his bed, or better say couch, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Out of nowhere, someone shook his shoulder rather harshly.

" Oi, teme, wake up! "

" Huh? Naruto, what are you doing here? "

" I woke up and heared you shouting something. Did you have a nightmare? " Naruto asked as he sat himself on the coffee table.

" Yeah, sort of..."

" And it's stupid to ask you if you want to talk about it, isn't it? "

" Yeah, it is. It isn't important anyway. But tell me, why are _you_ up so early? "

" Tsunade called us in her office. She wants to discuss something with us. "

" Hn. "

" I'll go take a shower. Go and take whatever you want to eat. "

Naruto left to walk over to his bathroom and Sasuke sat on the couch till he heard the shower go on. He headed towards the kitchen, while processing the dream he had just experienced.

' _What was this dream? Who was the one screaming? And why did it feel so real?_ '

Sasuke was really wondering about it. It didn't seem like a normal dream. It was as if someone had invaded his mind with this dream. As if someone was trying to say something with it.

' _Could this be that someone really needs my help? …...I don't think so. It must have been just a dream._ '

Sasuke soon let it be but the nudging feeling within himself was trying to tell him otherwise...

* * *

* Knock. Knock *

" Come in! "

" Master, your experiments are already up and prepared. "

" Perfect, I just wanted to go check up on them. "

The man grinned viciously and followed the other man out of the door. They were going through many dark corridors before they stopped and went in a room at the end of another corridor. There stood two slender figurs. Both of them young women. They stood there like statues, staring before themselves, eyes dull and without life. As if they were just two dolls without souls. But when the two men grinned at each other and pushed them, which resulted in a rather nasty fall on the ground, they snapped.

" What the...? "

" What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy? " Both of the girls shouted at the same time.

" Heh, sorry girls. It just...slipped.. "

The younger man chuckled and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of the nose. Both girls glared daggers at him as they stood up, helping each other.

" Ah, I see they're just fine. Ok, go ahead and tell them about the mission. I'm leaving. And you two, don't make any scenes like the last time. Understood? "

" Yes master! " both girls answered at the same time and bowed a little before the older man exited the room.

" Fine you two, I update you on your mission. You'll go to the Land of Water and you will retrieve two scrolls in Kirigakure. Once you're there, our informer will find you himself. Take the scrolls and come back. Without any scenes or anyone noticing you. You're allowed to kill only when it is necessary or when they are too suspicious. Any question? "

When neither of the girls spoke up, he sighed and looked at them.

" Fine, you can go to your room but don't forget your training session. You will leave on the mission at sunrise. "

" Yeah, yeah, we know that already. C'mon Ryoko. " the older girl said and exited the room, her younger friend tailing silently behind her.

" Uff, who do they think they are? We are not little kids for God's sake. " the older girl exclaimed. The younger one just giggled at her friend's antics.

" Sometimes I'm really asking myself who's got the worse temper, me or you? " she giggled again, when she saw her friend's expression and started running along the corridor.

" C'mon Asuna, don't be so lazy. I want to try something before our training. "

" Lazy my ass. I'm coming. " she screamed after Ryoko, running to catch up with her.

* * *

" Tsunade-sama, Sasuke and Naruto are here. "

" Let them in. "

The Godaime Hokage looked up at Shizune, standing in the doorway. As she received an answer, the black haired woman nodded and left. The door opened a few minutes later as Naruto with Sasuke in tow, came in.

" You wanted to see us Baa-chan? " Naruto asked, grinning like a madman.

A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead. " Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? "

" Eh, sorry Baa-chan. "

Before Tsunade could kill the hopeless Naruto, something smacked him on the head harshly.

" Hey teme, what was that for? "

" Dobe. " Sasuke just shook his head and looked at the Hokage.

" Why did you wanted to see us Tsunade? "

" Yeah, I wanted to send you on a mission... "

" WHAT? But wasn't Sasuke-teme on prohibition? " Naruto exclaimed and interrupted the blond haired Hokage before she could say anything else. A vein popped on her forehead again.

" Naruto, maybe if you let me speak, you will find out eventually. " Tsunade was almost yelling at the end of the sentence and Naruto flinched visibly.

" Hehe, sorry... "

" So, as I was saying, I'm sending you on a mission. I received a letter from the Mizukage saying they had some riots and they need our help. So you are going to help. I know I said Sasuke is on prohibition, but we need his skills and besides, I trust him that he will not run away, especially not now. You will go with Kakashi and another ANBU member. You will leave early in the morning. I will meet you by the gates at 5. Understood? "

" Hai. "

" Fine then. I believe you will not dissapoint me. Especially you, Sasuke Uchiha. "

" Hn. I will not. " the raven haired boy scoffed.

" Very well. You're dismissed. "

The boys left the office and headed towards the training grounds.

" Why do you think Baa-chan is sending us on this mission? It's really weird. I don't know why, but I have this feeling that there's something more behind it."

The blond haired shinobi pronounced as they were walking. Sasuke just looked at him and nodded.

" Maybe I'm crazy, but I agree with you on that one dobe. "

* * *

The next morning both shinobi met the Hokage at the Gate. She was already there with Shizune. Neither Kakashi, nor the ANBU that was supposed to go with them were there yet. The Godaime Hokage took a look at the two approaching boys. Naruto looked tired and was complaining like he usually did. Sasuke looked like his usual self. He didn't look tired, and if he was he was doing great job of hiding it.

" Good morning. "

" Morning... " both of the boys answered.

" We're waiting for Kakashi-sensei, am I right? " Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tiredness.

" Unfortunately. But the Anbu is not here yet too. "

" And who is going with us? " Tsunade opened her mouth to answer the question but before she could speak, an ANBU stood right in fron of her.

" ANBU captain 4 in action. "

The Hokage smirked at him/her. '_Just as usual._ '

" Right. Here's your team. You'll go to Kiri and help with the riots. And you will keep an eye on Uchiha, just in case. "

At the mention of the name, the figure visibly stiffened and slowly turned to them. Just now they recognised the features as one of a woman. As the hood of the cloak fell back, they saw brown curly hair in two buns on the head.

" Tenten? " Naruto asked loudly, pretty surprised to see her here. But as he watched her face darkened, he immediately knew she wasn't happy with her teammates.

" You ! " she snarled at Sasuke, obviously not happy he was back and she is forced to babysit him just so he wouldn't leave again.

" What do you think you're doing here? Did you show your face here so you can break another heart? Didn't you have enough? ...I think you can consider yourself lucky Neji's not going on this mission with us. He would have killed you right on the spot because of what you did to her. I'm really considering to do it myself, to torture you so much you will beg on your knees..."

" Tenten stop it ! He came here because he wanted to return. Willingly. To be back with us... "

" And you really believe that? Gosh, how can you be so dumb Naruto? "

Just as it started to turn out into a rather raspy argument, Kakashi came, blinking at his two students and the fiery kunoichi from Gai's team. Naruto and Tenten were arguing and Sasuke was standing nearby, watching the whole thing but looking rather guilty about something.

" What's happening here? " he asked as he approached Tsunade but the blond haired medic just shook her head and glanced at the three of them. He could see she was really angry.

" That's enough! " Her voice boomed through the quiet streets of Konoha although she was trying to be as silent as possible. The three of them looked her way and glared daggers at her. " Tenten, I don't care what you think. I am the Hokage and I can make whatever decision I please. Sasuke came back willingly and he wants to help us find them. "

" But he is a fucking traitor. And why would he want to help us find her? He broke her heart! "

" That's none of your business! You know nothing about me. " Sasuke finally snapped and yelled at the brown haired kunoichi.

" I know enough to know you are a bastard. "

Just as both of them were going to fight, Tsunade intervened.

" Stop it you two. Right now. "

The two of them immediately stopped arguing but still glared at each other for a while.

" Fine, since you are all quiet now, I will explain the mission once again. You will head to Kiri and help the Mizukage with whatever is going on there. And without killing each other. I'm appointing Kakashi as team captain. And I want a report every day. Understood? "

" Hai. " All of them answered and adjusted their packs on their backs.

" Fine then. Good luck. "

A second later, they were all gone. Tsunade sighed heavily and looked at Shizune, who was quiet the whole time.

" Do you think they will be okay? "

" I hope so Tsunade-sama. I know that Tenten is right, but she has to find out more about Sasuke. He isn't the same guy he was before and the way he was protecting his intentions tells me, he's honest and really wants to find our Sakura. "

" You think he has something for her? "

" I think he does. But he is confused right now and has to find out what he feels for her, himself. "

" Yeah, I think you are right... Come on, we should go. I have tons of paperwork waiting for me. I really need my sake right now. "

Tsunade whined as they turned to leave. Shizune just sighned and was already planning how to hide her sake. ' _This is going to be a long day. _'

* * *

_**So, thats it. Hope you enjoyed it. =D So we finally had some tension here and we are finding out new figures. I think you will all know who the unknown persons are, but anyway write your guess.  
**_

_**Then I wanted to thank you for reading my last chapte. 284 views in one day? It really made my day better. I would like to say thank you to my reviewers Matthew Uchiha, Rerezhang and especially my lovely Saige **_-_ **Uchiha****. And then E. S. mangalover for beta reading my story.** _

_**Thank you so much again and please do review, just hit the button and write something, it really encourages me to work on it faster.**_ _**;) **_

_**Ja ne****!**_


End file.
